When I was 13 years old, coming home from a Christian summer camp and having just been saved by the grace of God, I was so excited about my faith! I soon learned others did not share in my excitement.

The news that I’d “found God” was not received with joy. Did they misunderstand me? 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “The natural person is not able to accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”

No, they didn’t misunderstand me, but they weren’t able to “spiritually discern” the weightiness of what I was saying.

That Fall I went back to live at the deaf school. I wanted to tell everyone about Jesus! From their responses though, I was now a misfit. Eventually, I lost many friends due to my faith in Christ. I was ridiculed by them and insulted. A few “signed“ to me a sign I didn’t recognize and had to ask its meaning. “Holier-than-thou,” I learned. I had lived with and gone to school with these boys for years, and now I was an outcast, yet still among them.

This was the first of many lessons that my faith in Jesus didn’t free me from difficulties in life. “Faith” isn’t a protective bubble. In fact, reconciliation with God guarantees hardship and the world’s hatred. Jesus tells us not to be surprised if the world hates us. “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore, the world hates you.” (John 15:18-19).

Ultimately, we don’t belong to this world. We belong to Jesus.

The Greek word kosmos, translated as “world“ refers not to the earth, but to the system of rebellion that’s against God. Those against Jesus and his supreme reign will hate us.

If nonbelievers hate Jesus but love us, then that would mean we are greater than Jesus. But since servants aren’t greater than their master, the world will hate us. Jesus warned his Disciples they would be persecuted for their faith and none of them escaped persecution. “Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.” (John 15:20).

Can the world love us? Perhaps if we don’t obey Jesus’s commands in their presence they won’t know that we belong to Jesus. If we obey Jesus, unashamedly, nonbelievers will know we belong to Jesus and at the end of this earthly life we’ll see the glory of God that awaits us.

While at the deaf school I caught a glimpse of God’s glory that I’ll never forget. My dorm supervisor, Phil, who was well liked by the students, overheard me talking with another boy about Jesus. When I quoted Luke 13:3, Phil interrupted me asking me to explain what the verse means. I told him that if someone has faith, but never repents of his sins, then that person’s not truly saved. Phil was dumbfounded. He thought he was a Christian but hadn’t repented of his sins.

That night Phil left work early. He went home and prayed, and when he rose from his knees, he was a new man. Phil had been brought to a deep conviction by the Holy Spirit and he repented of his sins.

The next day at school Phil didn’t cuss at anyone. Nor did he tell inappropriate jokes. Phil was different, the boys remarked. Did they rejoice? No, they hated his conversion! And when they found out who “got him religious,” they said he’d been brainwashed into believing in Jesus. Now, admittedly, I was amused by their accusation, but it was God’s glory that changed Phil, not me.

I saw the change and the other boys saw it too. But they didn’t recognize “the new man” Phil had really become, because they were looking through sin-colored glasses.

In fact, they were repulsed by his change.

News spread of Phil’s conversion and over the next months God gave us opportunities to tell others at the school about Jesus. Through those opportunities, there were boys who put their faith in Jesus for salvation.

Phil’s deaf nephew, Kevin, is a few years younger than me and knew the story of his uncle’s conversion since he was just a kid. Sadly, as an adult Kevin got into drugs, promiscuity and even the occult. Fast forward to a few years ago when Phil’s widow put Kevin in touch with me.

Kevin had started reading the Bible. The more he read, the more he wanted to know. He told me that before he started reading the Bible he hated the gospel, and many deaf Christians in his hometown couldn’t tolerate him. Now Kevin had trusted Jesus as his Savior.

Kevin asked me if he was really a Christian. So I ask him who he believes Jesus is, and he said Jesus is God’s Son.

“And do you think you’ll go to Heaven?”

Kevin was thoughtful and humble responding.

“I was so bad. I hated Jesus! But I’m different now and I know it’s Jesus who changed me. He saved me from my sins. Yes! I will go to Heaven.“ Kevin had lived a lifetime being repulsed by God’s glory, but now as he said, he’s different. And he lost many friends, too.

Just another glimpse of glory … I’ll take it every time.